130,600 days lost by strikes in 1995

THERE were 36 strikes in 1995, resulting in the loss of 130,600 work days, according to the Labour Relations Commission annual report, published yesterday.

Three strikes - at Dunnes Stores, the Irish Press, and the teachers' one day strike - accounted for 89 per cent of the days lost, according to the report.

The Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, welcoming the report, said the number of days lost was "well within the range of days lost to strikes during the period of centralised pay agreements".

The commission called for further progress in industrial relations systems and procedures and said this would benefit both employers and employees.

During the year there were 1,692 referrals to the Conciliation Service, an increase from the 1,551 referrals in 1994.

Seventy per cent of disputes referred to the Conciliation service were settled in 1995, up from 66 per cent the previous year. There was a "continuing uneven divide in the rate [of settlements] between the private (72 per cent) and the public (67 per cent) sectors".

The Labour Relations Commission's Advisory Service had its busiest year since its establishment in 1992. Significant reductions in the number of referrals to conciliation by the 12 most frequent users of the service has been achieved over the past four years through the work of the advisory service, according to the report.

The commission referred 314 disputes to the Labour Court in 1995 at the request of the parties concerned. In just under one quarter of all cases the dispute involved five workers or less.

Mr Bruton said the increased rate for the settlement of disputes through conciliation and the ongoing development of the advisory service were indications of a desire for more co operative industrial relations.